France Claims Diplomatic Win, but War Still Looms
Sat Feb 15, 9:01 AM ET PARIS (Reuters) - "France trumpeted a diplomatic triumph on Saturday in its efforts to brake the United States' push for war on Iraq"
Read these articles on CDI:
•BP's deal with Russian oil firms "down payment" for compliance on Iraq.
BP's decision to invest a huge sum of money in Russian oil firms is a political decision not an economic one, the Russian business daily, Kommersant, says. This investment is a down payment for Russia's compliance on a war against Iraq.
The Soviet Politburo hoped that some day the Franco-German axis, initiated by French President Charles de Gaulle some 40 years ago, would break up NATO and deliver Western Europe into Soviet hands.
•The New Entente May Spring a Leak
Russia does not really care about Iraq - it will not confront Washington.
..."Russian reconnaissance planes need twenty-four hours if orders come from the command to join UN inspectors in Iraq. Sources in the Air Force command say that the order to go to this readiness level has already been sent to the AN-30 detachment based at Kubinka near Moscow."
CDI's Russia Weekly has more on the current political stand-off from the Russian perspective. Interesting reading.
The French and German leadership would do well to remember this English parable "In the end, small-minded evil men always get their comeuppance." Always.